New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

The city of Chuzhou has been quite lively these past two days, as an army of 150,000 men needs to pass through the city to quickly return to Youzhou.

"It seems the Jin army is planning to return."

Yue Fei and Xin Zan exchanged a smile. Tang Qian was indeed formidable; he had single-handedly defended Guangling City, making their long journey to seek refuge worthwhile.

"So what should we do now? Should we return to Guangling to report back, or continue our pursuit and recapture Xuzhou in one fell swoop?"

The Jin army's attack on the Song Dynasty was aimed at occupying more cities and expanding its territory. Although the army is now retreating north, it will definitely leave troops in the cities it has occupied. Xin Zan certainly does not expect to be able to take back Youzhou with only two thousand cavalry, but it is worth trying to launch a surprise attack on Xuzhou and drive the Jin army back north of the Yellow River.

Yue Fei thought Xin Zan's suggestion was feasible, but Xuzhou was too far from the main camp of Guangling. If the supply line was too long, Xuzhou would be easy to lose again. It would be better to take back Chuzhou first and then deal with it slowly later.

So, on the way to Xuzhou, when the main force of the Jin army was retreating, the two launched another surprise attack and killed another 500 enemy soldiers with their powerful firepower.

Faced with their harassment, Wanyan Xie seemed to have no intention of fighting and had no intention of chasing and intercepting the bandits. Instead, he headed north without hesitation, unwilling to stop for even a moment.

He easily left behind hundreds of Jin army corpses. Yue Fei then ordered five hundred soldiers to change into Jin army uniforms, with only a red rope tied to their right arms as a marker.

Half a day later, the five hundred men appeared outside Chuzhou City.

"Our troops were ordered to cover the rear but were attacked and scattered by the enemy. They lost contact with the main army and could only return to the city for protection."

Although Xin Zan was a Song person, he had lived in Jin territory for more than ten years and spoke fluent Khitan. The guards on the city wall did not notice any flaws.

As soon as the city gates opened, Xin Zan led five hundred soldiers straight in, clearing a path with his palm thunderbolts. They quickly captured the north gate of Chuzhou. As Yue Fei led the remaining fifteen hundred men into the battlefield, the garrison inside the city was slaughtered as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

As the Jin army flags on the city walls were thrown down, a large banner bearing the character "Song" fluttered in the wind, and Chuzhou City, which had been occupied for two months, returned to the hands of the Song army.

After counting the number of Jin troops in the city, Yue Fei frowned slightly: "I didn't expect that Wanyan Xieye would only leave three hundred men to garrison Chuzhou."

If they had known that the number of defenders in the city was so small, they wouldn't have needed to risk attacking Wanyan Xieye's army. Instead, they could have launched a direct assault on the city. The defenders on the city walls would not have been able to withstand more than a few rounds of palm-shaped lightning attacks.

"It seems that something big has happened in the Jin Kingdom, otherwise Wanyan Xie would never have rushed back in such a hurry, not even caring about the cities he has captured."

However, he also knew that the Song army that had previously guarded these cities were all cowards who were afraid of death. When the Jin army captured Chuzhou, they did not suffer any losses. Now that it was being returned to the Song Dynasty, it was not a pity. At least the resources in the city had been plundered by them, so the Jin army's trip was not in vain.

Looking at the desolation and chaos in the city, the people's eyes were filled with bewilderment and fear. Yue Fei stood on the city wall, clenched his fists, and looked north with anger: "One day, I will make you pay for your blood debts."

He summoned a communications soldier and handed him a handwritten letter: "Immediately return to Guangling City and inform the Prince Consort that our army has recaptured Chuzhou City."

A moment later, the south gate of Chuzhou opened, and the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they galloped towards Guangling with the momentum of leaving everyone else in the dust.

"What are your plans next, General? Will you rest and recuperate, recruit more soldiers, or will you head north to Tokyo to join General Zong Ze?"

In any case, Zong Ze, the garrison commander of Tokyo, commanded 30,000 troops, which was the last army left by the Song Dynasty in the north. Zong Ze was also Yue Fei's superior. If one went to join him, one could fight on the border, make meritorious contributions, drive the Jin army back to the pass, and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

Yue Fei shook his head: "I have long been stripped of my military rank and am now only considered a private army in Guangling City. Since I have pledged allegiance to the Prince Consort, I must naturally follow his lead. How can I be fickle and act on my own? Brother Xin, what are your plans now?"

“Me?” Xin Zan was slightly taken aback, then gave a bitter laugh. “I do want to seek refuge with the Prince Consort, but I still have a wife and children in Jinan. I need to go back first and bring them out.”

"Jinan is still under the control of the Jin army. Brother Xin, you must be very careful when you return."

Xin Zan smiled faintly: "I am just an ordinary citizen who was conscripted into the army. My identity and travel permit were all issued by the Jin people. I also have family members in the city who can prove my identity, so I don't think there will be any danger. This time, I can also go back and find out some internal information about the Jin Kingdom for General Yue."

Just now, Yue Fei judged that there was some trouble within the Jin Kingdom. After returning, I will investigate a little and thus achieve the goal of knowing myself and my enemy.

The straight-line distance between Chuzhou and Yangzhou is only six hundred li. The messenger, traveling day and night, successfully arrived at Guangling City at noon the day after Yue Fei captured Chuzhou.

After reading Yue Fei's handwritten letter, Tang Qian relayed the news of the recovery of Chuzhou to everyone in the council hall.

"General Yue was able to recapture Chuzhou with only two thousand cavalrymen. He is indeed a peerless genius in leading troops into battle."

This news is indeed encouraging. Since the Jin army marched south, how many cities has the Song Dynasty lost? Chuzhou is the first city to be recaptured. Does this mean that the Song Dynasty has officially fired the first shot in its counterattack?

"Our army is currently resting in Chuzhou. General Yue, please advise us on the next course of action."

Tang Qian replied without hesitation: "I know nothing about military campaigns. General Yue can decide on this matter himself. However, what I mean is that the internal strife in the Jin Kingdom will not be quelled in a short time. Our army can take advantage of this time to recruit soldiers and expand our strength. As for the rations and pay to be distributed, just send someone to Guangling to collect them."

Just as the messenger was about to return to Chuzhou with Tang Qian's instructions, a child ran into the council hall. Yue Yun knelt down on one knee in front of Tang Qian and said, "This humble one is willing to follow Father to fight the enemy. Please grant my request, Uncle."

Tang Qian reached out and patted Yue Yun's head: "What's wrong? Don't you want to be Princess Saiyue's bodyguard?"

Yue Yun raised his head, his face full of struggle: "A true man should sweep across the world, how can he spend his days outside a woman's boudoir?"

Everyone present burst out laughing upon hearing this. The position of the princess's bodyguard was definitely a cushy job, but it was unexpected that this kid was not happy about it.